Scheme to support heritage businesses of at least 30 years

Debate on ministries' budgets: Culture, Community and Youth

- Syarafana Shafeeq

Heritage businesses that have been operating for at least 30 years can soon be supported by a new scheme to drive awareness and boost patronage of shops that have cultural significance.

The SG Heritage Business Scheme by the National Heritage Board (NHB) will be piloted in areas such as major conservation precincts, including Chinatown, Kampong Glam and Little India.

Local businesses in these areas that have been operating for 30 years or more can receive support to sustain themselves in the form of branding, marketing and consultancy services by NHB and other agencies.

Announcing the scheme on March 10, Senior Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Low Yen Ling said these are businesses that provide "locally rooted trades, goods and services, and contribute significantly to the identity of a community or place".

An initial group of about 150 heritage businesses, most of them in the central area, will benefit from this scheme, she added. She was speaking at her ministry's budget debate, in response to Mr Henry Kwek (Kebun Baru), who had asked what could be done to safeguard and support heritage businesses.

The initiative will be the first such government scheme to recognise and inspire appreciation for local businesses for their heritage qualities. It is part of NHB's Our SG Heritage Plan 2.0 efforts to safeguard Singapore's cultural identity and heritage.

More details and a call for nominations to the scheme will be announced in the next few weeks.

Other key announcements and updates from the debate on the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth's (MCCY) budget include: